Museums Museum of Popular Art and Traditions (Bayt Ajiqbash) National Museum of Aleppo 2 sites 0 1 1 0 0 Destroyed Severely Damaged Moderately Damaged Possibly Damaged No Visible Damage
96 / THE STATE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEPPO Museum of Popular Art and Traditions (Bayt Ajiqbash) W N S E 36 12 22.096 N 37 9 23.902 E Bayt Ajiqbash was built in 1757 and was the property of the Qara Ali and then Ajiqbash families. The rooms in the eastern side were demolished to widen the street that connects Awjat al-kayali and al-hatab square. The Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) expropriated the house in 1967 and had it restored. It was inaugurated as the Museum of Popular Art and Traditions in 1982. The western entrance leads to a central courtyard of rectangular shape, around which the spaces of the house are arranged. On the south is a high iwan flanked by two rooms, while the main qa a (hall) extends along the northern side. The service section is located on the western side. OVERALL SATELLITE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT SEVERE There is clear evidence of debris around the walls, the roof of the building is heavily damaged, and a small section of it to the southeast appears to have collapsed (see Figure 51, Damage Point 1). There is possibly a hole in the southwest corner of the roof (see Figure 51, Damage Point 2). Given the nature of this assessment, it is not possible to measure the effect on the museum s contents. For more information, refer to the DGAM publication on the state of the museums (DGAM, 2016a). OVERALL HISTORICAL LOSS SEVERE HISTORIC PERIOD: Ottoman ALEPPO DISTRICT: Al-Jdaydeh PARCEL No.: 2303 HISTORIC BUILDING No.: 445 PLOT AREA: 495 m 2 In 2013, the collection from the Museum of Popular Art and Traditions was moved to the National Museum of Aleppo. Bayt Ajiqbash is especially famous for its rich stone decorations, reflecting the impact of European baroque ornamental forms. In addition, the southern iwan, the qa a and the other rooms on the ground floor were decorated with wooden panels. Taking into consideration that these elements have been severely damaged or destroyed, the overall historical loss is categorized as severe.
MUSEUMS / 97 BAYT AJIQBASH 20 February 2017 1 2 BAYT AJIQBASH 23 September 2013 Figures 50 and 51. Bayt Ajiqbash. Bottom right (Before image): 23 September 2013 2013 DigitalGlobe (Source: U.S. Department of State, NextView License). Full page (After image): 20 February 2017 2017 DigitalGlobe (Source: U.S. Department of State, NextView License). 1 Roof of building damaged and small section of southeast corner of building collapsed 2 Southwest corner of the roof damaged
98 / THE STATE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEPPO Damaged South Iwan of the Museum of Popular Art and Traditions (Bayt Ajiqbash). Picture date: 16 January 2017 UNESCO/C. Menegazzi.
MUSEUMS / 99 Archive photo of the South Iwan, Museum of Popular Art and Traditions (Bayt Ajiqbash). Picture date: April 2009 Gerhard Huber.
100 / THE STATE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEPPO View over al-jdaydeh district and al-hatab square in close proximity to Bayt Ajiqbash. Picture date: 16 January 2017 UNESCO/G. Khawam.
Museum of Popular Art and Traditions, southwest corner. Picture date: 16 January 2017 UNESCO/C. Menegazzi. MUSEUMS / 101
102 / THE STATE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEPPO National Museum of Aleppo N W E S 36 12 12.645 N 37 9 0.888 E The National Museum of Aleppo was established in 1926. In 1931, following a decision by the Syrian authorities, a small Ottoman palace was designated to host the museum. After three decades, the building was too small to host the growing number of objects, so in 1966 it was decided to demolish the old museum and replace it with a larger, more modern structure. The new museum was inaugurated in 1972. The museum is located in the northwest of the Old City, not far from the clock tower in Bab al-faraj district. It comprises two floors, a basement and two gardens, as well as an annex used as the local headquarters of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM). Artefacts from every historical period were exhibited in the museum, the largest sections were devoted to the Iron Age and the Islamic period. The entrance to the museum was a reconstruction of a gateway to an Iron Age (ninth century BCE) neo-hittite palace at Tell Halaf with the original statues. The museum had around 27,000 registered artefacts, most of which came from archaeological missions undertaken between 2008 and 2011. OVERALL SATELLITE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT MODERATE No damage was visible to the building in 2014 when satellite imagery was examined, although reports of damage had been received. By 2017 a section of the roof had been damaged on the eastern side (see Figure 53, Damage Point 1), and the adjacent walls may also have been damaged as there appears to be rubble at their base. An additional section of the roof on the southern side may also have been damaged. The roofed area in the courtyard (the covering for sculptures) has also been damaged, though it was repaired between 2016 and 2017. There is impact damage on the path to the museum, although it is not possible to assess whether this has affected any of the sculptures stored in the grounds; however, a small white area by the entrance (visible in the September 2016 image) may support reports of damage to the entrance (DGAM, 2016b). Damage to the collections cannot be assessed via satellite imagery, however, the DGAM has published a dedicated report (DGAM, 2016a), as has the former curator (Kanjou, 2016). OVERALL HISTORICAL LOSS MODERATE HISTORIC PERIOD: Modern ALEPPO DISTRICT: Baron Street (outside the Old City) PARCEL No.: n/a HISTORIC BUILDING No.: 228 PLOT AREA: 9,252 m 2 MORE INFORMATION For a detailed description of the status of the Museum collection and damage, please see the DGAM publication Syrian Archaeological Heritage, Five Years of Crisis 2011 2015 (DGAM, 2016). At the beginning of 2012, around 1,000 of the most valuable objects (approximately 5 per cent of the collection) were moved to a safe location, and the rest were packed and placed in storage. The exhibits that were too big to move inside the galleries were sand-bagged, and all the halls and storerooms were sealed off with metal (fireproof) doors and reinforced with concrete. In early 2014, the most valuable artefacts were transferred to Damascus and stored at another protected storage place. The remaining artefacts of both the National Museum and the Museum of Popular Art and Traditions were stored in the basement of the National Museum and placed on a 70 cm-high platform so that they would be safe from groundwater. A generator operates a pump to drain the water. The sculptures in the garden have been entombed inside concrete blocks for their protection, and sandbags were piled up at the main entrance to prevent access. Given these precautions, the overall historical loss is assumed to be moderate.
MUSEUMS / 103 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ALEPPO 23 September 2013 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ALEPPO 20 February 2017 1 Figures 52 and 53. National Museum of Aleppo. Top left (Before image): 23 September 2013 2013 DigitalGlobe (Source: U.S. Department of State, NextView License). Bottom left (After image): 20 February 2017 2017 DigitalGlobe (Source: U.S. Department of State, NextView License). Ground pictures. Top right: Entombed museum entrance. Picture date: 16 January 2017 2017 UNESCO/C. Menegazzi. Bottom right: Mitigation measures at the entrance of the National Museum of Aleppo. Picture date: 16 January 2017 UNESCO/C.Menegazzi. 1 Eastern side of the roof damaged
In addition to religious buildings and those associated with commerce, the World Heritage property of the Ancient City of Aleppo also includes numerous historic public buildings that echo the thriving and dynamic urban character of the city throughout its history. These include hammams, hospitals, historic administrative buildings, sabils (water fountains), coffee houses and the Clock Tower, among other structures. In addition, the urban fabric of residential neighbourhoods boasts a large number of luxurious residences, rich in their architectural elements and decorative details. Using satellite imagery, this study examined 101 of these historical buildings. As it is not possible to detail every location in this publication, only some key sites are mentioned. Of the public buildings and residences examined, 8 are destroyed, 17 have sustained severe damage, 65 have sustained moderate damage, and roughly 11 have some possible damage or no visible damage. The damage assessment for all the sites assessed in this study is available on the EAMENA website upon request. MORE INFORMATION Scan the code to access the study on the EAMENA website